experimental music artists
55 published experimental music artists, led by John Lennon, A. R. Rahman and Timbaland.
At a glance
55 published experimental music artists; 1,200 studio albums have verified cover art.
- Published artists3 tier 1 · 14 tier 2 · 38 tier 3
- 55
- Release groups
- 4,563
- Studio albums
- 1,523
- Albums with cover artverified Cover Art Archive
- 1,200
- Timeline events
- 1,834
- Monthly listenerssum across artists
- 144.1M
- Average career spanfirst to last dated release
- 38.9 years
- Full biographies
- 49
- Biography words
- 218,443
When they started
Debut decade from each artist's earliest dated release. Most debuts fell in the 1990s (12 artists).
| Decade | Artists |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 2 |
| 1960s | 7 |
| 1970s | 9 |
| 1980s | 4 |
| 1990s | 12 |
| 2000s | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 |
Where they come from
Countries with the most experimental music artists. United States leads with 21.
Often paired with
Genres that share artists with experimental music. The most shared is electronic music, with 14 artists in both.
Covers from experimental music
1,200 studio albums have verified cover art. The 12 shown come from the most famous artists.
The Alternate Double Fantasy
John Lennon · 2005
Roots: John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits
John Lennon · 1998
Absolute Elsewhere: The Ultimate Mind Games Anthology
John Lennon · 1997
Off The Walls (Summer Of 1974)
John Lennon · 1997
Imagine: All the Outtakes
John Lennon · 1994
Archives Volume Seven
John Lennon · 1988
The Lost Lennon Tapes, Volume 1
John Lennon · 1988
The Lost Lennon Tapes, Volume 4
John Lennon · 1988
Milk and Honey
John Lennon · 1984
Heart Play: Unfinished Dialogue
John Lennon · 1983
Double Fantasy
John Lennon · 1980
Rock ’n’ Roll
John Lennon · 1975
Leaders
A. R. Rahman has the most release groups (399); John Cage the longest career (75 years); A. R. Rahman the most awards (268).
Most prolific
| Artist | release groups |
|---|---|
| A. R. Rahman | 399 |
| Frank Zappa | 299 |
| John Cage | 287 |
| Björk | 271 |
| John Lennon | 252 |
Longest careers
first to last dated release
| Artist | years |
|---|---|
| John Cage | 75 |
| Sun Ra | 71 |
| Frank Zappa | 64 |
| Karlheinz Stockhausen | 64 |
| Christophe | 60 |
Most decorated
| Artist | awards |
|---|---|
| A. R. Rahman | 268 |
| Björk | 22 |
| Calle 13 | 19 |
| Aribert Reimann | 13 |
| John Lennon | 10 |
Most famous experimental music artists
John Lennon
United Kingdom · Person · born 1940
rock music, pop music, hard rock, rock and roll, blues rock, beat music, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, pop rock, art rock, experimental music
14.1M listeners · 185 wikis
A. R. Rahman
India · Person · born 1966
pop music, pop rock, dance music, electronic music, soft rock, electronic dance music, classical music, folk-pop, world music, Carnatic music, Indian classical music, experimental music
46.7M listeners · 66 wikis
Timbaland
United States · Person · born 1972
pop music, contemporary R&B, electronic dance music, hip-hop, pop rap, experimental music
29.5M listeners · 58 wikis
Young Thug
United States · Person · born 1991
trap music, progressive rap, new jack swing, Southern hip-hop, mumble rap, experimental music
29.2M listeners · 42 wikis
Grimes
Canada · Person · born 1988
contemporary R&B, electronic music, art pop, synth-pop, ambient music, indie pop, electronica, dream pop, experimental music
7.6M listeners · 47 wikis
Crystal Castles
Canada · Group · 2003–present
synth-pop, electroclash, experimental music, synth-punk, witch house
7.8M listeners · 31 wikis
Frank Zappa
United States · Person · born 1940
rock music, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, jazz, progressive rock, alternative rock, jazz fusion, classical music, experimental music, avant-garde music, proto-punk, comedy rock, avant-pop, avant-prog, art music, musique concrète
110 wikis
Calle 13
United States · Group · 2004–present
rap rock, alternative rock, reggaeton, Latin pop, world music, alternative hip-hop, Latin hip-hop, ska, experimental music, alternative reggaeton
9.2M listeners · 19 wikis
Björk
Iceland · Person · born 1965
rock music, electronic music, alternative rock, art pop, experimental music, avant-garde music, gabberpop
109 wikis
Yoko Ono
Japan · Person · born 1933
rock music, pop music, dance music, electronic music, alternative rock, new wave, electronica, experimental music, Shibuya-kei, avant-garde, Fluxus, conceptual art, vanguard
98 wikis
Kraftwerk
Germany · Group · 1961–2003
electronic music, electro, synth-pop, techno, electronica, experimental music, Krautrock
64 wikis
John Cage
United States · Person · born 1912
electronic music, classical music, opera, experimental music, avant-garde music, musique concrète, 20th-century classical music, performance art, aleatoric music
76 wikis
More experimental music artists
Showing 1–43 of 43 artists
Tom Waits
United States · Person · born 1949
rock music, blues, jazz, experimental music
66 wikis · Tier 2
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Germany · Person · born 1928
electronic music, opera, experimental music, musique concrète, chamber music, 20th-century classical music, serialism, aleatoric music
63 wikis · Tier 2
Aphex Twin
United Kingdom · Person · born 1971
electronic music, ambient music, techno, experimental music, intelligent dance music, ambient techno, acid techno, drill and bass
54 wikis · Tier 3
Sean Lennon
United States · Person · born 1975
rock music, psychedelic music, experimental music, avant-garde music
44 wikis · Tier 3
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Japan · Person · born 1952
electronic music, techno, experimental music
52 wikis · Tier 2
Sun Ra
United States · Person · born 1914
jazz, jazz fusion, swing, avant-garde jazz, experimental music, bebop, hard bop, free jazz, space music
42 wikis · Tier 2
Franco Battiato
Italy · Person · born 1945
pop rock, progressive rock, electro, new wave, opera, experimental music
41 wikis · Tier 2
Luigi Russolo
Italy · Person · born 1885
experimental music
37 wikis · Tier 2
Buckethead
United States · Person · born 1969
hard rock, experimental rock, funk, country rock, funk metal, avant-garde jazz, experimental music, noise rock, progressive metal, dark ambient
36 wikis · Tier 3
Morton Feldman
United States · Person · born 1926
contemporary classical music, experimental music, avant-garde music
35 wikis · Tier 2
La Monte Young
United States · Person · born 1935
experimental music
30 wikis · Tier 2
Einstürzende Neubauten
Germany · Group · 1980–present
experimental music
29 wikis · Tier 3
Ólafur Arnalds
Iceland · Person · born 1986
ambient music, experimental music
29 wikis · Tier 3
Glenn Branca
United States · Person · born 1948
experimental music, avant-garde music, symphony, 20th-century classical music, noise music, minimalist music, no wave, totalism, sound art
27 wikis · Tier 3
Émilie Simon
France · Person · born 1978
electronic music, trip hop, experimental music
27 wikis · Tier 3
Arca
Venezuela · Person · born 1989
experimental music, neoperreo
26 wikis · Tier 3
Blixa Bargeld
Germany · Person · born 1959
rock music, post-punk, experimental music, noise music
26 wikis · Tier 3
Flying Lotus
United States · Person · born 1983
electronic music, jazz, hip-hop, trip hop, psychedelic music, experimental music, intelligent dance music
25 wikis · Tier 3
Mr. Bungle
United States · Group · 1985–2004
experimental music
25 wikis · Tier 3
Christophe
France · Person · born 1945
pop music, chanson, electronic rock, trip hop, experimental music, downtempo
25 wikis · Tier 3
Lil B
United States · Person · born 1989
hip-hop, ambient music, cloud rap, alternative hip-hop, West Coast hip-hop, new age music, lo-fi music, experimental music, outsider music, experimental hip-hop, hyphy, deep funk
20 wikis · Tier 3
Aribert Reimann
Germany · Person · born 1936
classical music, opera, experimental music
20 wikis · Tier 3
Christian Wolff
United States · Person · born 1934
experimental music, 20th-century classical music
17 wikis · Tier 3
Linda
Russia · Person · born 1973
pop music, folk rock, psychedelic rock, art rock, grunge, indie rock, new age music, trip hop, experimental music, gothic rock, trip rock
17 wikis · Tier 3
David Tudor
United States · Person · born 1926
electronic music, contemporary classical music, classical music, experimental music, avant-garde music
16 wikis · Tier 3
Earle Brown
United States · Person · born 1926
experimental music
15 wikis · Tier 3
Capsule
Japan · Group · 1997–present
dance music, jazz, synth-pop, electro house, techno, J-pop, indie pop, experimental music, lounge music, Eurodance, Shibuya-kei, nu jazz, electronics
15 wikis · Tier 3
Soap&Skin
Austria · Person · born 1990
experimental music
14 wikis · Tier 3
M. A. Numminen
Finland · Person · born 1940
rock music, jazz, experimental music, schlager music
13 wikis · Tier 3
Kahimi Karie
Japan · Person · born 1968
synth-pop, indie pop, electronica, experimental music, Shibuya-kei
11 wikis · Tier 3
Buck 65
Canada · Person · born 1972
country music, blues, alternative hip-hop, experimental music
10 wikis · Tier 3
Rogério Skylab
Brazil · Person · born 1956
experimental music
8 wikis · Tier 3
Daedelus
United States · Person · born 1977
electronic music, hip-hop, experimental music
5 wikis · Tier 3
Moor Mother
United States · Person · born 1981
experimental music, experimental hip-hop
5 wikis · Tier 3
Mahdyar Aghajani
Iran · Person · born 1989
experimental music
5 wikis · Tier 3
Tiki Taane
New Zealand · Person · born 1976
experimental music
5 wikis · Tier 3
Saori@destiny
Japan · Person · born 2007
contemporary R&B, electro, synth-pop, house music, techno, J-pop, electronica, experimental music, Shibuya-kei, vocal trance
5 wikis · Tier 3
Clotilde Rullaud
France · Person · born 1978
pop music, jazz, folk music, chanson, world music, experimental music, musical improvisation, Latin jazz
5 wikis · Tier 3
Laura Les
United States · Person · born 1994
electronic music, experimental music, hardcore, hyperpop
4 wikis · Tier 3
Cindytalk
United Kingdom · Group · 1982–present
post-punk, experimental music
3 wikis · Tier 3
Box Codax
United Kingdom · Group · 2003–present
experimental music
2 wikis · Tier 3
Adam Leonard
United Kingdom · Person · born 2002
experimental music
1 wikis · Tier 3
Cold Therapy
Poland · Group · 2012–present
experimental music, electro-industrial
1 wikis · Tier 3